Visum

Those seeking a visa to Japan (study or research) are advised to start early. You must:
1. Obtain a Certifcate of Eligibility
2. Obtain a Letter of Guarantee
3. Apply for a Visa

It takes approximately 1.5 - 2 months to obtain a visa.

1. Certificate of Eligibility (COE)

In order to obtain a visa to Japan you must first have a Certificate of Eligbility (COE). Basically this is a document issued by the Ministry of Justice in Japan confirming your status in Japan. The certificate verifies that the holder has been approved by the Japanese Government for a certain purpose of travel such as: a student, a professor, a researcher, entertainment, a long term resident, working or employment, religious activities and other specified purposes.

In order to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility, you are required to have a sponsor in Japan. This includes employers, schools, relatives etc. For students and visiting researchers/professsor this will be the University you will be attending or working at. Your sponsor will send you the appropriate application forms and ask you to fill them out and return them. In general, you will need to submit a health certificate, a confirmation of financing, and, in the case of students, transcripts and an explanation of the grading system. The sponsor in Japan will contact the Immigration Office in Japan and apply for your COE. The phone number of the Tokyo Immigration Office is 03-3213-8111. When the application has been approved, your sponsor will send you the certificate. After you have the COE you can apply for the visa (see below).

Please consult the web site of the Japanese Embassy http://www.no.emb-japan.go.jp/ for additional information on the COE. There are special rules for how long it is valid and persons travelling to Japan should be aware of these rules.

Case a: Bilateral exchange student or visiting scholar

Students who have applied to a Japanese university under one of the bilateral exchange agreements between NTNU and the Japanese University, will be provided with the appropriate application form required for the COE. This will not happen until AFTER the student is notified that she/he has been accepted by the university.
Visiting scholars should also be provided with the necessary forms. However, if you do not receive these forms you should ask your contact in Japan for them.

Case b: "Free-mover" (student or visiting scholar)

If you plan on attending a univeristy with which NTNU does not have a bilateral exchange agreement you should, after acceptance, ask your contact at the university you will be attending if they can send you an application for a Certificate of Eligibiltiy. If they are unable to provide this for you, you can contact the International Office at the university you will be attending and ask for advice on how to proceed.

2. Letter of Guarantee

You will also need a Letter of Guarantee from a person who has agreed to be accept the responsibility for you while you are in Japan (guarantor). In general, only Japanse citizens can act as a guarantor, even though, in theory, foreigners living in Japan can too.

Students/visiting scholars under bilateral agreements will not have to worry about this. The same is true for those receiving government scholarships.

For all others:

You will have to ask someone in Japan to be your guarantor and submit a letter confirming that this person has agreed to be your guarantor. You will find a sample letter on the web site of the Japanese embassy: http://www.japanemb.org.pk/Annex%2001.htm

As you can see from the letter the guarantor takes on a great responsibilty by assuring that they will cover all your expenses should you not be able to pay. You should therefore clearly document your financial support before asking someone to act as your guarantor.

Here is some advice:
- document all income from stipends, loans, and salary
- Students can ask a professor at NTNU or a previous employer to write a letter of recommendation
- Take this matter quite seriously. You can be denied a visa if your paperwork is not in order.
- If you have contacts in Japan that can attest to your trustworthiness, ask them to contact the person you are asking to act as your guarantor.

3. Visa Application

You can download the Visa Application Form: http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html
Copies are also available in the International Office (Dale Licata)

You will need:

- Valid passport
- Visa application form
- Passport-size photo (2"x 2")
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE)(original)
- One copy (both sides) of the Certificate of Eligbility
- Visa fee (NOK 231 as of 5-2002) paid to the account number 7035 05 17225 in Den Norske Bank
- Stamped self-addressed envelope ("Rekommendert") for return of your passport and the original COE

It takes approximately 2-3 working days to obtain the visa.

Visa exemption

Please see http://www.no.emb-japan.go.jp/
In general, Norwegian citizens who intend to travel to Japan for less than 3 months will not require a visa. Please note that you are not able to travel to Japan as a tourist and then apply for a student visa while you are in Japan. You will be required to leave Japan, apply for a student visa, and then return to Japan after being you have obtained the visa.

Visa for spouses/partners

You can obtain a visa for your spouse if you agree to act as their guarantor. It is difficult to obtain a visum for your partner if you are not married, eg. living together or engaged.

Additional Information and Visa Application Form: http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html and the Japanese Embassy in Norway.

This information is provided by:
NTNU - International Office, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway; Phone: +47 73 59 5700: Fax: +47 73 59 5210
Editor: Head of International Office, Contact address: international@adm.ntnu.no, Updated: 27.09.2004